New Technology, New Vote Counting Center promises quicker, accurate results
By David Taylor Managing Editor
By the time this paper arrives, the election counting will either be clearly done and a winner named, or there will be legal challenges much like the 2000 election that was stalled in court pitting former President George Bush, Jr. and Al Gore. While the country waited, a recount was underway and ultimately the count was set aside and the Supreme Court intervened with a decision handing the presidency to George Bush, Jr.
Thankfully, computer technology has delivered the country from the possibility of ‘hanging chad’ – which was a reference to the punch cards used in the battle ground state of Florida during the Bush/Gore election.
The hanging chads on the punch cards slowed the recount in Florida. Election officials were left scrambling to decide whether or not a hanging chad was a punch for Bush or Gore. It was a nightmarish headache for counters and led the news virtually every night.
A full month later, by a narrow 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court intervened allowing Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris’s vote certification to stand, giving Bush Florida’s 25 electoral votes and ultimately the presidency. The win was with a narrow 271 votes. Many point to that decision and close election as the beginning of the extremely divided country.
Since then, technology allows for both paper and electronic ballots, making it easier to read and to check.
Another change since then was the eradication of straight-ticket voting. The practice simplified voting for either Democrats or Republicans who could simply hit the straight-ticket button and cast a vote for every Republican or Democrat on the ballot. The Texas legislature eradicated the practice after Democrats swept Republicans in 2018, a large percentage of them voting a straight-ticket and handing the Harris County judgeship to 27-year old unknown and inexperienced Lina Hidalgo. The 2018 election gave Democrats control of the county in almost every position, including judgeships.
In the next legislative session, the Republicanled legislature abolished the practice for good.
While ‘chads’ and ‘straight-ticket’ voting are long gone, there are other challenges that have many of the states loaded with lawyers at the ready in the event some discrepancy is discovered.
Even last week, a Supreme Court ruling in a Virginia case brought mixed results with a win for both Republicans and Democrats.
The last Harris County election was also fraught with challenges and accusations that ballot paper was not available at many of the polls. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth has said there is plenty at every voting center.